The Saxophonist
by DorothyThropp
Summary: 1951, London England. It's a Friday afternoon in a damp Jazz bar. A saxophonist is playing his instrument and she is watching him. A love story like no other. NOTE: Not really a Wicked story but does include Wicked quotes and such. Characters: Willemijn Verkaik and Bart van Hoof. Just a little thing I wanted to try out. THREE-SHOT
1. Chapter 1: The first meeting

_London, England 1951_

Somewhere not too far out of the center of London city a woman was sat in a Jazz bar after she was done with her shift at work. She was wearing her favourite purple dress and some comfy not to high heels.  
It was a Friday afternoon, four-ish. The bar was filled with people who came here to relax after their long work week.  
The saxophone player was playing his part and the pianist was tapping along on the keys of the piano.  
The woman was enjoying her coffee and a book that she had brought with her. It was late autumn and rainy outside. She sipped from her coffee and turned another page. She was reading about this beautiful love story. An ordinary girl had found her true love with a violist in an underground station. So cheesy but yet so heartwarming. Even though she wasn't sure she would ever find true love herself, she was happy for the characters in the book.  
She took another sip from her coffee and looked up to the saxophonist. She absolutely adored his playing. He played with so much ease, passion and love for his instrument. It sometimes felt like he was in a completely different world, a world he had created for himself. Not caring for the people that were watching him, although she knew he cared, just playing and enjoying it the best he could. Making up his song and story on the way. So special.  
She wished she could do that on a daily base but her singing never got her anywhere. Ever since she was a small girl she had loved to sing and when she was sixteen she had fallen in love with Jazz music. That was what she wanted to study after she graduated from high school but her mother wouldn't let her. It was not the time. War was just over and everything was slowly starting to go back to normal. It wasn't common for woman to express their selves in any form of art so her mother would have nothing of it. She had regretted it ever since but listened to her mom and studied fashion. The plan was to work in a dress department for musicians but instead she got to work in a clothing factory. She did climb up from just a mere factory girl to the head of the department but all she now got to do was paper work.  
She looked back at the saxophonist and realised he had stopped playing. Everyone was applauding and because she was the last one to join in he looked over to her. A heat started to creep from her neck upwards, blossoming her cheeks. Embarrassed she hid her face behind her book and pretended to continue reading. She had never had the chance before to see the eyes of the saxophonist but my goodness they were beautiful! Amazingly light blue/grey-ish.  
She packed her book away, put on her black coat that was hanging over the back of her chair and left some money on the table for the coffee. She was out of the bar even before the saxophonist was able to get to her table.

Every Friday after work she would come back to the bar in the hope he would be there again and every week he was. She stayed until the last note and would leave before the applause would fade away. With every week that passed her crush for him would grow and with every time she left his curiosity for her would develop.

It wasn't until a month later that she had found the courage to stay and he had made up a plan to keep her in.  
He had talked to the barkeeper and the barkeeper had talked to the doorman. They knew who she was by looks but had never been able to catch her name. So the doorman would have a small talk with her when she would want to leave to give the saxophonist enough time to come over and talk to her. But this time she didn't leave. She stayed and was still sitting at the table she always sat when he decided to go over to her.  
'Good afternoon,' He said, 'Is this seat taken, miss?'  
'Good afternoon, and no sir the seat is not taken. Please sit down.' He sat down and ordered himself a coffee and her a cup of tea. They sat there awkwardly for a few minutes until the barkeeper came back with their drinks. She was wearing a dark blue dress and he was wearing a simple, yet not so ordinary trousers and shirt.  
'What brings you here every Friday, miss?' He asked her polite whilst pouring some milk into his coffee.  
'The way you play the saxophone, sir.' She said and smiled at him. Her smile was like sunshine and her eyes so bright blue like a beautiful wintry sky.  
'Well, thank you miss.' He was truly warmed by her kind words. They sat in silent again for a bit. Both enjoying the company and their drinks.  
'Could I..' He asked.  
'Would you..' She started.  
They both laughed and he gestured for her to start.  
'Would you mind joining me for a walk? It's beautiful outside and even though I love this bar dearly the damp is getting a bit too much for me.' She stated and drank the last sip of her tea.  
'Of course I will join you.' He said to her and together they got up and out of the bar. They decided on a walk down the riverside of the Thames.  
After a few moments of walking he dared to ask her for her name, 'Willemijn Verkaik.' She answered with this beautiful voice of hers.  
'And yours?' She asked softly whilst looking out over the Thames. 'Van Hoof. Bart van Hoof.' He answered and she giggled. They continued walking and she realised that he may not be British, his name didn't sound British. He may as well be an outsider. 'Sir?'  
'Yes? And call me Bart, please?' He answered and smirked.  
Her cheeks flushed the slightest bit of red. 'Pardon me, but where are you from?'He looked at her questioningly but answered her, 'The Netherlands why?'  
She let out a sigh in relief. 'I had that feeling already. Ik kom ook uit Nederland.' She then said and almost made him jump in surprise.  
Her name indeed didn't sound very British but after and during the war so many people had fled to Great Britain that no one would be surprised if they heard a not so familiar name. He had fled the Netherlands as well.  
'What brought you here, if I may ask?' They sat down on a bench looking out over the river.  
'My mom is from here so when war struck me, my mom and dad came here to try and stay safe. And you?' She said in all casualty.  
'I fled Holland during the war cause being an artist wasn't safe anymore.' He replied. He stood up and threw a peddle in the river.  
She came to stand next to him and they looked out over the river again.  
'What do you do in your daily life?' He asked her not long after. For some reason she seemed like a Jazz singer to him but he hadn't yet even heard or seen her sing.  
'I work at a clothing factory.' She said but didn't seem too fond about it.  
'You do?' He asked surprised. All the girls he knew from the factory seemed like dull ordinary women but she, she looked so extravagant. So elegant and stylish with her black coat and dark blue dress that matched her eyes, skin tone and ginger red hair perfectly. Like she really cared about what she looked for.  
'You seem surprised?' Her curiosity was slowly taking over.  
'You look more like a Jazz singer to me so yeah I was kind of surprised.' He said to her and turned to her but she turned her head away.  
'I always wanted to be one but my mom wouldn't let me, she thought that it is not the time for women to be on stage.' She looked to the river to avoid his glance.  
'Hey,' He took her chin in his hand and forced her to look at him. 'Hey it is okay. If you want to be a Jazz singer why don't you come and sing with me? I'll play the saxophone and you can sing. Wouldn't that be great?' He took her hand in into his and brought it to his lips.  
She was flattered by the romantic gesture but did manage to say, 'You would do that for me? But you haven't even heard me sing yet.' She stated incredulous.  
'With such a beautiful speaking voice your singing voice will most likely sound like a nightingale.' They looked into each other's eyes. Bright blue eyes staring into light blue/grey eyes and you could see a spark light between them. They lend in at the same time and when their lips connected it was like everything fell into place.


	2. Chapter 2: Regular Fridays

'Come on Willemijn, you can do this!' They were standing backstage about to go on stage in their regular jazz bar. He was trying to convince her that she so could do this. Her voice was like the chirping of a nightingale but she was so nervous.  
'There's no need to be nervous, Miss Verkaik. The rehearsal all went so amazingly well, why get nervous now?' He asked her. She was peeking through the curtains looking out at the audience. All week there had been advertisements about this performance and everyone was excited and curious. No one had ever seen him perform with anyone else than his usual pianist.  
'But Bart, there are so many people out there! It's too crowded.' She exclaimed and turned away from the curtain about to walk away.  
He grabbed her by her elbow and held her into his embrace. 'It's gonna be fine Mijntje, just focus on me and the music okay? Like we did at my place and in the rehearsals. No need to be scared.' He kissed her on her forehead and she lend into his embrace. 'And besides you look positively emerald in that dress of yours!' She was wearing a dress of the latest fashion. Sweetheart neckline, form hugging waistline and a floating skirt from down the waist. It was dark green and went so beautifully with her ginger red hair which was held back at the top with a matching clip. On her feet shined midnight black heels.  
She sighed, 'Okay let's do this.'  
He let go of her, winked and went through the curtains to announce her.  
'Ladies and Gentlemen, as you all know we have a very special guest tonight. Please give her a warm welcome.. and not only because she's my girlfriend.' Laughing could be heard from the audience. She started to calm down a little by the sound of their laughter. It was going to be okay, totally fine.  
He continued, 'Ladies and Gentlemen, Willemijn Verkaik!'  
The curtain opened and a spotlight was placed on her. Even though it wasn't such a big bar they had their ways. The pianist started playing. The audiences was going wild when she took place behind the microphone.  
This song meant so much to her and when it was her cue to start singing she made up her own world. The bar became her fantasy and her dreams were coming true. When he played his sax solo it felt like magic had found its way into the bar.  
When the song was finished the audience first went really quiet before they went wild once again. Their applause was overwhelming. She couldn't believe her eyes and ears, for that matter.  
Only a week ago this was all she had ever dreamed of and now it was coming true. He kissed her on her forehead once again and she thanked the audience.  
'This next song Bart and me wrote just this week..' They looked at each other and started their song.

 _A few hours later..._

'Can you believe we actually did that?' She asked him after they had finished their set list. They were sat at the bar having a few drinks to celebrate the success of their first performance together.  
'I believed in you from the beginning Miss Verkaik.' He told her and gave her a peck on the cheek.  
She giggled, gulped down the rest of her drink and burped afterwards. 'Whoopsie, that wasn't very ladylike.'  
'Absolutely not honey, I think you have had enough and I think it is time I bring you home.' He paid for their drinks like a real gentlemen and held out her coat. It had started to snow in the past few hours which made it look like a fairy tale outside but also really cold. He dragged her out of the bar and put his arm around her shoulder. They walked like that for a while by the riverside.

Slowly she started to give into the tipsy feeling she had. It felt like she was floating on air but it made her feel warm as well and it felt magical. She still couldn't believe everything that had happened tonight. She laid down her head on his shoulder and stared out across the river.  
'Remember the first time we walked here?' She said but because she was slightly tipsy it sounded a little odd, 'Rwmembr tha ferst tiem we welked hir?'  
Nevertheless he was able to figure out what she was saying. 'Yes I do, and I also recall a certain kiss.' She giggled but sobered a little by instant.  
'Oh do you now?' She asked a bit more sober already.  
'Yes I do Miss Verkaik.' He teased her and pulled her closer.  
She stopped and looked at him, 'Why the Miss Verkaik all the time? You asked me to call you "Just Bart" so why not call me just Willemijn?' She stood in front of him, hands on her hips like a stubborn child.  
'You know you're adorable when you do that.' He said and laughed.  
'Pffttt.' She said and pouted.  
He took her bottom lip between his thump and index finger, 'No need to pout Willemijn, I'm just teasing you.'  
'Nfot tfunne!' She tried to say but because he was still holding her bottom lip it came out funnier than meant.  
He laughed, let go of her lip and kissed her. A breathtaking, slow burning, sweet kiss. Which left them both breathless afterwards but into each other's arms. A beautiful couple. She in her green dress with a long black coat and he in his suit, bow tie hanging loosely around his neck.  
He put his arm around her shoulder again and they made their way over to her apartment.  
When they reached her front door he kissed her goodnight and was about to leave when she called him back.  
'Bart?' She said in doubt.  
'Yes Willemijn?' He asked her in response. He knew what she was going to ask but it had to come from her lips or otherwise he would not do it.  
'Would you.. I mean if it is not too much of a burden.. Maybe you could..' She trailed off, unsure of how to form her question. All this time he waited patiently only a few steps away from her.  
'Would you like to stay here for the night?' She said eventually, 'Not with me in the bed of course, how inappropriate that would be, oh my! But on the couch maybe?' She was staring at her feet trying to avoid his look.  
He closed the distance between them and made sure they were on same eye level before he took her chin into his hand and made her look up. 'That would be nice Willemijn and of course I will sleep on your couch if you feel better by that.' He said kindly.  
'You don't mind?' She asked surprised.  
'Of course not! Every single moment that I can spend in your heart warming presence I will take even if I have to sleep on the floor!' He smiled and she could not believe her ears. She kissed him and then they went inside.

Their first night together. Although nothing happened. It was the first time they actually felt like they might be in love.


	3. Chapter 3: The Jazz Club

p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="2b158bd85c0ee3c14228d2723c7cfd73"em style="box-sizing: border-box;"London, England 1954/em/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="2e250c1ba42d3f28b0251424e59e3f95"All around the city you could see posters hanging on walls, streetlights and other places where you were aloud to hang them. The posters showed a female and a male on the stage of the newest Jazz Club in town. The hottest place to be at this moment./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="97685c704bf86b8a9fdd29e36e5cf7aa"It was a Friday afternoon around four-ish. He was checking his saxophone, playing a few notes. She was doing her voice warm up. Their bass player was checking the strings of his instrument and the pianist was playing his instrument absently. The atmosphere was relaxed. The barkeepers were making the last arrangements for the opening later that evening. /p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="8d2df1fc1b6a27df9d62f4db5da74a92"One hour later Bart and Willemijn met backstage before they would open and go on stage to perform./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="2c32c4b321388ff2f2a63c6482c59dba"'Who would have thought that three years later we would open a Jazz Club and be the hottest place in town?' She asked him. He embraced her and they stayed like that for a while cause he had no answer to her question. br /'I don't think anyone would have guessed such a thing, but look at where we are now.' He kissed her and grabbed her hand. 'Let's do what we are best at honey.' /p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="43d92c9b8a208b84004a32a44eb4a1c6"They got on stage and received the most well deserved applause ever. They would continue to do their performances for the next few years and their club only grew. When they grew old and had to retire they spent their left years in a small town house not to far outside London. Happy to have found each other and never moving too far from one another. /p 


End file.
